I had the good fortune to hear two excellent speakers at the Idaho Business for Education Legislative Academy and their annual meeting this week. Dr. Terry Holliday who served as Education Commissioner for Kentucky and now serves as Board Chairman of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards spoke to Legislators and business leaders early on another snowy Boise morning. Holliday introduced innovative programs, led high student performance and brought national recognition to his state for their educational improvement. Dr. Holliday had done his homework on Idaho and was able to help us understand our current effectiveness, areas of strength and weakness and offer some common sense advise on how and where to focus our efforts. It was clear he believes success in education is local but must be a co-ordinated and collaborative effort across the state. The independence of each school district can be retained if the goals and accountability are shared.
At lunch, Dr. Mark Peters, director of the Idaho National Laboratory updated us on the mission of the lab as well as their needs for workforce development. The U S Department of Energy has more than 4,000 scientists, engineers, and support staff in multiple nuclear and non-nuclear experimental facilities with an annual budget of over $1 billion. The average wage is near $90,000, well above the state average. The current mix of age of that group suggest there will be great opportunities for new employees over the next ten years as people retire and the site likely continues to grow. What can an employer do about assuring it has a talent pool for the future. The INL is partnering in STEM education focus, building and strengthening collaboratives with Idaho Universities, supporting a proposed community college, and actively looking for other outreach programs.
Idaho’s focus on getting students ready for post secondary education is critical to having our children and grandchildren ready to work in science, technology, research and technical jobs that are heading our way at an ever accelerating pace. Pretty easy to apply the “focus” of Dr. Holliday on specific sectors as discussed by Dr. Peters. We are building an infrastructure in Idaho education that will cover cradle to career and get our students ready for the future. We need to speed up the process and my sincere appreciation to the Governor, legislators, school leaders, parents, and businesses who will make it happen.
There are some great examples of collaborations around student readiness with proven outcomes in our more rural areas. I promise to tell you more about Idaho City and the P16 program in Caldwell another day.
It is going to take all of us in Idaho to push forward. I will leave you with the words of the late Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” An a few years further back, “Education is an ornament in prosperity and a Refuge in adversity.” Aristotle. Today it is clear that education is the key to economic viability and independence.
If you have not watched Story Bots with a child, I encourage you to check it out. Hank and I now know that there are over 700 different bacteria living in my mouth and why brushing and flossing are so important.
Enjoy the week end. Mike